Mocha Almond Protein Smoothie

They say that breastfeeding is supposed to help you lose the baby weight. Well, I’m here to tell you that that’s not always the case. While I was exclusively pumping for Charlie, I was starving. All. The. Time. So I ate. All. The. Time. And it wasn’t the right foods either. As a mom of a baby and a toddler, struggling with PPD, and trying to keep things running smoothly, I ate whatever was fast and easy. And let’s be honest, sometimes I ate to soothe my stress and anxieties too. I tried not to worry too much about it while I was pumping because any time I tried to count calories, my milk supply took a hit.

Well, Charlie turned one a couple months ago and I officially hung up the pump. Now it’s time to turn my attention to eating healthier and smarter (and hopefully losing some of the baby weight).

One of my pitfalls has always been snacking when I get home from work. I start work around 4 or 5 a.m., eat my “breakfast” about 10 a.m., and get home around 1:30 p.m. and by then I’m hungry again. I usually just eat a full “meal” when I got home, but my husband has dinner on the table around 5:30, where I’d eat another full meal and then go to bed a few hours after. That’s a lot of food in a short span of time and not a lot of time to digest it/burn it off. So to take the edge of my post-work hunger without eating a complete meal, I started making myself a Mocha Almond Protein Smoothie.

Packed with protein, it satisfies my hunger while the caffeine gives me a little pick-me-up to help with my afternoon energy slump. It’s also creamy and chocolatey, so while it’s totally good for you, it takes like you’re treating yourself to a yummy dessert.

I don’t just make it as a snack either. It’s also a yummy breakfast on my days off. I make one of these smoothies almost every day!

I make a couple trays of coffee ice cubes at a time, so I always have some ready for a smoothie. You can use any kind of coffee you like, but since the coffee flavor in this smoothie is fairly mild, I just use instant coffee crystals. It’s fast and easy.

To your blender, add: half a banana, 3-4 coffee ice cubes (mine are each 1 oz. cubes, and I use 3), one scoop of protein powder, 2 rounded spoonfuls of almond butter, and 1 cup of your base liquid. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

That’s it! Super simple and easy, so there’s no reason not to start making them for yourself. But I warn you, they’re addictive. So be prepared to start making them all the time!

Print Recipe

Mocha Almond Protein Smoothie

Prep Time

5mins

Servings

glass

Ingredients

1/2banana

3-4coffee ice cubes

1scoopchocolate protein powder

2rounded spoonfulsalmond butter

1cupbase liquid(milk, water, almond milk, etc.)

Prep Time

5mins

Servings

glass

Ingredients

1/2banana

3-4coffee ice cubes

1scoopchocolate protein powder

2rounded spoonfulsalmond butter

1cupbase liquid(milk, water, almond milk, etc.)

Instructions

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!